BlackBerry cries foul as Facebook plans to end BB OS 10 support

Facebook and its WhatsApp messaging subsidiary have both announced
plans to end support for BlackBerry OS 10 by the end of 2016 despite
pleas from BlackBerry's executives. In a blog post,
BlackBerry's senior manager in charge of the company's App Ecosystem
and Developer Outreach team, Lou Gazzola, expressed disappointment over
the decision and urged customers to protest it.

"We fought back to work
with WhatsApp and Facebook to change their minds, but at this time,
their decision stands (but let them know how you feel on social media,
using the hashtag #ILoveBB10Apps)," he wrote.
The decision comes as BlackBerry has started to look at paths beyond
its own operating system. In late 2015, the company introduced its own
Android-based phone, the Priv. And with the introduction of the Passport,
BlackBerry began supporting some Android applications on BB OS itself.
But the company's executives have continuously tried to attract and keep
developers for their native operating system's ecosystem.
Gazzola wrote that despite the Facebook decision, "we have worked
hard to ensure our end users have the best experience in light of this
decision and are continuing to search for alternate solutions." In an
attempt to convince users of the company's commitment and to highlight
the efforts of the BlackBerry developer community—which Gazzola said is
"creating thousands of apps every month"—Blackberry is launching a
featured list of 20 of applications on BlackBerry World called Great Apps on BlackBerry.
BlackBerry has put a lot of effort and some cash into attracting
BlackBerry OS 10 developers. The company has held a number of
"port-a-thons" in the past to get developers to create versions of their
existing mobile apps for the BlackBerry marketplace in exchange for
cash bounties. And for applications that BlackBerry's executives have
determined are critical to their user base, the company has underwritten
development of BB OS versions. Gazzola wrote that the company is
"continuing whenever we can to invest in apps important to users, such
as the update to the Twitter app released today with important fixes and
another update coming in a month with new features."